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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. last — to go on
  5. pit — in a race
  6. last — final
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fall — to drop
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fall — to drop
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spring — the season
  14. pit — a hole
  15. last — finally
  16. content — the amount
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spring — of water
  20. fall — the season
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com